


Elocution

by ScarsLikeVelvet



Series: A Year of Prompts [48]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bad Friends, Bad Parenting, Good Peter Hale, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Short & Sweet, Stiles Stilinski Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29509836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarsLikeVelvet/pseuds/ScarsLikeVelvet
Summary: Stiles just needs someone to care. It takes him a long time to find that person.
Relationships: pre Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: A Year of Prompts [48]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086053
Comments: 13
Kudos: 210





	Elocution

Stiles was sitting in the front row. Just like he always did. His notebook was lying opened in front of him, his fingers playing with his pen. His ticks had lessened the older he got but when his mind wasn't occupied enough he still fidgeted on occasion. He was looking forward to this class.

It had taken a lot of deliberation on Stiles' side to take this step. To take lessons in singing and elocution. 

His friends had always teased him for his babbling and his tripping over words when he was word vomiting. 

He had grown steadily quieter during middle and high school. In the end, he had stopped talking altogether. 

The teachers had been happy when he didn't disturb their lessons as much and no one had asked questions. No one had cared that the always flailing, babbling kid of the town's sheriff had suddenly gone practically mute.

Stiles had loved to sing with his mother. When he had died, his singing became non-existent and his babbling grew more pronounced. 

When the teasing began and he stopped talking, no one had cared. 

No one cared when he didn't even raise his hand to answer questions during lessons.

It was like he had vanished.

Even Stiles' father had not cared when he stopped talking. He had been relieved. 

So after Stiles' stopped communicating with his peers, he started spiraling. Researching anything and everything that caught his fancy. For a long time, it seemed research was all that he was good for. When he was shunned for trying anything else, Stiles decided it was time to leave. 

He had earned a lot of money with his research skills and had a decent college fund. Without even talking to his father about it, Stiles accepted a stipend for a college on the east coast. Far away from anyone who ever knew him. 

Stiles had taken all the courses that had to do with computer science. He had delved into it and found something akin to passion, but he did not talk. 

His professors even wanted to have someone interpret for Stiles but he just programmed a tablet PC to talk for him if he had something to say. They accepted it. They asked if he needed help in any way. They cared.

Especially one who gave of serious daddy vibes. His name was Peter Hale. He also was born and raised in Beacon Hills but had left the town for college and just never went back. Before he had left he had sometimes babysat Stiles. He had recognized him and asked himself what had happened to the happy little boy who was always talking and singing so sweetly.

Stiles had answered that his peers and teachers had happened. They had literally stamped his happiness out of him.

Professor Hale had nodded full of understanding and not asked more. He could guess what they had done. Beacon Hills High School was famous for looking the other way in regards to bullying by students and teachers alike. What he had done though was encourage Stiles to talk without his tablet speaking for him. 

He had started doing it during the office hours Stiles had come to ask questions or to sometimes just talk.

Stiles had shyly given it a shot. His voice had sounded shaky and rough from disuse but given time his voice had become smooth and sweet again as it had been. Professor Hale had smiled and told Stiles to think about maybe talking himself for his next presentation in class.

Stiles had shaken his head. He wasn't even sure how to talk in front of people anymore.

His professor had nodded his understanding but when Stiles came by for office hours some weeks later he had handed him a pamphlet about the lessons in singing and elocution. When Stiles had protested that he didn't have the money for this kind of lesson, the professor had waved it away and told him he would take care of it. It wasn't like he didn't have the money. 

Stiles had thought about it long and hard before he had finally given in. If only to see the soft warm smile on his professor's face. 

Stiles knew he had fallen hard for the thirteen years older man and that he would do much to make him happy. 

When the teacher stepped up in front of the class Stiles' attention was on them. He listened carefully and noted things down. When the teacher asked them to introduce themselves and why they were here, Stiles was at a loss. 

So when it was his turn he stood, turned towards the class, and just said: »My name is Stiles Stilinski. Yes, Stiles is a nickname. No, I won't give you my real name. As to why I am here … I don't really know.«

The class blinked but no one laughed.

»How can you not know?« the timid-looking girl that sat behind him asked. 

Stiles bit his lip. His gaze flitted through the room before it settled on her. 

»One of my professors asked me to try taking these lessons. To … to get me back into the habit,« he finally said.

»The habit?« The teacher asked.

Stiles looked at the floor and wrung his hands.

»Of talking … and maybe singing,« he admitted.

The teacher and class looked at him wide-eyed.

Stiles sat back down and ducked his head.

The lesson continued and a few times Stiles raised his hand. He waited until the teacher asked him for the answer before he gave it.

When the lesson was finally over, Stiles was exhausted. He still had to make his way home but he barely had the energy to put one foot in front of the other.

»Stiles,« a warm voice purred. 

Stiles looked up with wide eyes. Across from the door he had just stepped out of Professor Peter Hale was leaning against a black Camaro. 

A tired smile hitched a ride on Stiles' face. 

»Professor,« he murmured. 

»Come on. I'll take you home. I'll even promise to keep your virtue intact,« Professor Hale said.

»Don't know if I want you to,« Stiles admitted before he could think about it.

Peter threw his head back and laughed.

»I like you, Stiles, I really do. But until you don't have lessons with me anymore this will have to wait,« he said with a smile.

Stiles managed a more alert grin.

»When can I test out?«

His professor stared at him with wide eyes at the banter that sounded so serious. They stood a couple of steps apart. Peter Hale's gaze questioning while Stiles looked painfully shy and earnest.

»We'd need a couple of papers filed to make that possible so possibly the end of the week?« Peter finally said.

Stiles nodded. 

»I can wait that long,« he said.

Professor Hale smiled and opened the car door for Stiles.

»Come on … I can see you are tired and wrung out. I'll drive you home and start on the paperwork,« he said.

Stiles slipped into the car.

Before Peter had sat down in the driver's seat Stiles was already asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr as [Polemonium-writes](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/polemonium-writes)


End file.
